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Péter Solymosi, the Hungarian-Swedish artist, holds his third exhibition of paintings at the Hungarian Information and Cultural Centre. The show presents his masterpieces, painted on location at Chandra Tal, Himachal Pradesh, and in Varanasi. 10am-7pm. Hungarian Information and Cultural Centre, Embassy of the Republic of Hungary, 1/A, Janpath (2301-4497). Free.

Music

In Memoriam Rostropovich

13 September

New Delhi’s biggest opera buff R.P. Jain will present a video and talk on Rostropovich, one of the greatest cellists of the 20th century. Rostropovich (who died on 27 April 2007 and is buried in Moscow alongside Shostakovich, Prokofiev and Boris Yeltsin, a close friend who died just a week before him) had pieces written for him by such greats as Britten and Messiaen. This event pays tribute to the great artist with the help of excerpts from select concerts. 6.30pm. The Attic, 36, Regal Building (2374-6050). Free.

Prof Rita Ganguli

15 September

Nurtured from an early age towards academic as well as artistic excellence, Ganguli has trained in ‘dhrupad’ under Gopeshwar Bandopadhyay of the Vishnupur gharana. She has won the national scholarship for a record three times, for Kathakali, Bharatanatyam and music, while at Shantiniketan. This is a rare opportunity for city audiences to catch her live as she seldom performs now. 10am. KDB Public School, Old Kavi Nagar, Ghaziabad. Free.

Pandit Rajan Sajan Mishra

19 September

The duo comes from a long unbroken tradition of the Benares gharana of ‘khayal’. The popular Hindustani classical vocalists have been so close since childhood that they don’t even use the plural for the honorific. 10.30am. Institute of Technology and Management, Sector-23A, Gurgaon (95124-2365811). Free.

Out & About

Khadi: Historical Context, Contemporary Relevance

15 September

Designer Sunaina Suneja conducts a workshop and presentation on the relevance and status of khadi today. She will look at its evolution from being an icon of India’s freedom struggle to its many current avatars through a talk, film and style collection on khadi. 11am. The Attic, 36, Regal Building (2374-6050). Free.

Theatre

Ghalib in New Delhi

16 September

Reduced to tears by Faiz’s glowing account of his posthumous fame, Ghalib decides to revisit his beloved city to witness the situation for himself. In New Delhi, of course, Ghalib’s conical topi and flowing green robe are greeted with half-hearted curiosity or bemusement. The play’s basic premise—transplanting a poet who is the very embodiment of 19th century ‘Dehlavi tehzeeb’ to the altogether less-refined streets of modern New Delhi–is clever. 7.30pm (duration: 1 hour, 45 minutes). Alliance Française de Delhi, 72, Max Mueller Marg, Lodi Estate (4350-0200). Tickets: Rs200-Rs500. Contact M. Sayeed Alam (98102-55291) for details.

It has been 15 years since Lalu Prasad Shaw had a solo show in the city and he offers up more than two dozen works on paper. They have the familiar touches of Shaw’s lyricism—the beautiful, vacant-eyed women, simple lines and delicate texturing—and while not every piece is a gem, there are enough beauties in this show to charm the viewer. 10am-7pm (daily). 1, Admiralty Building, Colaba Cross Lane (2216-3339).

Prajakta Palav Aher

17 September

Prajakta Palav Aher appears to be equanimous about everything until she talks about Borivali. “I miss it a lot," she said. Palav Aher moved to Mulund after getting married last year and though her new neighbourhood is growing on her, she still feels a little like Dorothy, with Mulund being her Oz and Borivali her Kansas. Perhaps it is the yearning for familiar spaces that has made Palav Aher’s new paintings, which will be previewed this fortnight, so full of the contrasting realities that make up Mumbai. 11am-7pm (Mon-Sat). Kitab Mahal, Fourth floor, 192 D.N. Road, Fort (2207-1771).

Music

Signum Quartet

14 September

The Signum Quartet is made up of Kerstin Dill and Annette Walther on the violin, Simon Tandree on the viola and Thomas Schmitz on the cello. Founded in 1994, the quartet was initially trained by Konrad Grahe and has gone on to study with renowned quartets from around the world, including the La Salle and Cherubini quartets. For their Indian tour, the quartet plan to perform Joseph Haydn’s ‘String Quartet in D Major’, Robert Schumann’s ‘String Quartet in A Major’, Jorg Widmann’s ‘String Quartet No 1’ and ‘Six Bagatelles for String Quartet’ by Anton Webern. With these four musicians, chamber music promises to be fiery and fun. 6.30pm. Tata Theatre, National Centre for the Performing Arts. Free.

Shubha Mudgal

16 September

The versatile vocalist performs monsoon ragas at ‘Malhar ke Prakar’, a seasonal concert organized by the Indian Music Group of St Xavier’s college. 5.30pm. St Xavier’s College. Free.

A Callas Commemoration

18 September

Theatreforum presents an evening celebrating the musical genius of opera singer Maria Callas. The evening will begin with excerpts from ‘Master Class’ and ‘The Lisbon Traviata’ by Terence McNally. ‘Master Class’ was inspired by recordings of the classes Callas took at the Juillard School in New York while ‘The Lisbon Traviata’ explores the kind of passion Callas inspired in her audience. An audio-visual lecture by photographer Gautam Rajadhyaksha on Callas will touch on what made the singer special. Rounding off the evening will be the screening of Callas’ rendition of the second act of ‘Tosca’ by Puccini. 6.30pm. Little Theatre, National Centre for the Performing Arts. Free.

Lifestyle

Paramparik Karigar

18 September onwards

Handloom exhibitions hold a special place for connoisseurs of ethnic chic. It is an occasion to find out what new has transpired in the world of ‘kalamkari’ block print and to replace the red-and-black ikat dupatta with a Banarasi stole. There are few better events at which to enhance your ethnic assets than at Paramparik Karigar, the exhibition of fabric and artefacts that has been held at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya for the last few years. 10.30am-6.30pm. Coomarswamy Hall, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, Kala Ghoda, Colaba (2284-4519).

Film

Les Parapluies de Cherbourg

20 September

French new wave director Jacques Demy’s 1964 film is an exercise in whimsy. It might start in the key of blissful romance between gorgeous Guy (Nino Castelnuovo) and Geneviève (Catherine Deneuve) but it stealthily proceeds to such mundane issues as teenage pregnancy and divergent lives. 6.30pm (duration: 1 hour, 32 minutes). Alliance Française Auditorium, Theosophy Hall, Nirmala Niketan, New Marine Lines (2203-6187). Free.

RECOMMENDED

NEW DELHI

Film

CMS Vatavaran Festival

14-16 September

The last three days of the Centre for Media Studies’ Vatavaran Festival. The CMS Vatavaran awards are also India’s only environmental awards. Catch wildlife films from across India and the world on environmental issues. The theme of the festival this year is climate change. Stein Auditorium, India Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road (2468-2222). Free.

MUMBAI

Art

Mehlli Gobhai

14 September onwards

After a gap of four years, Mumbai’s Rothko, Mehlli Gobhai, shows his paintings. The colours are muted neutrals and not dark like his earlier work but the trademark lines and shadows are there in full force. Take your time with these paintings. The details, such as how the colours catch the light and the way the texture of the paper lends to the painting, make some of these paintings beautiful. 11am-7pm (Mon-Sat). Chemould Prescott Road, Queen’s Mansion, Third Floor, A.K. Naik Marg, Fort (2200-0212).